Sunday, July 20, 2014

My son, granddaughter and I went to see the Houston Museum of Fine Arts major exhibition this summer. Housed in the center of Cullinan Hall, the work consists of 24,000 polyvinyl chloride (plastic tubes) hang from a two-story high ceiling. Visitors are invited to walk through the tubes, touch them, move them.

I expected the piece, which the Museum calls one of the great marvels of contemporary art, to be much larger. When we walked into the hall, my son stared at the piece and said, "Is this it?" Clearly we expected something grander or something that spoke to us as one expects art to do.

I wasn't even sure it was art. Yes, it's experimental, but even experimental art should be meaningful. As I walked through it, this sort of reminded me of a fun house maze, a pretty one, but what does it mean? If you have suggestions or comments, please let me know.

Note: Since this began as a widows' blog, for the next 11 Thursdays, I'm going to post one of my Top Eleven Tips for Navigating Widowhood.

Yes, I know many of you aren't widows, but you may be someday because women have much higher chance to become widows than men. Did you know that, in every species from humans to fruit flies (yes, even fruit flies) females outlive males. So many of these tips apply if you're widowed or not. Some of them are things I wish I'd done before I even thought I'd be a widow. So stop by Thursday and take a look.

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Sunday, July 6, 2014

I love sports. Not playing them--I was always too skinny and uncoordinated to be good at sports. But watching is a different matter. Especially when I'm under the weather. This spring when I suffered excruciating pain from a pinched, inflamed sciatic nerve, I comforted myself with reading potboilers and beach books, eating large quantities of cheesecake and watching sports on TV. I watched the NBA playoffs Hooray for the Spurs. I don't much like LeBron James, unless he becomes a Houston Rocket. Then he'll be my fave.

Growing up in a football town, with both Friday night lights and Saturday Longhorn games, in the fall, I stay glued to the TV. Yes, I watched every one of the miserable Texans games start to finish. I am a football masochist.

The past two weeks, even though my pain is almost gone, I spent my spare time watching Winbledon. .I am fascinated with players' quick decisions and strategies on the court and with their off-court personas.

I don't get soccer though. I understand they have to make a goal, but all those guys running around the field, hitting the ball with their heads sometimes, referees holding up yellow cards (I don't know what the cards mean exactly--only that they're not good).
Anyway, the World Cup is passing me by.

I'm waiting for the lead-up series to the US Open tennis tournament. Hopefully by then I can just watch for fun, not to distract myself from pain.

I'm the mother of three, grandmother of two, slave of two demanding cats. I've been a widow for four years and have taught resource courses for widows and widowers. I've written romance novels. See my website at www.eclectics.com/ lornamichaels. Currently I'm working on a memoir titled Stumbing Through the Dark.
More about me: Born in Austin, TX
Favorite color: purple
Favorite song: The Wind Beneath My Wings (hear it as you read this blog)
Like to: read, cook, travel (last big trip was to Spain) write, learn new things.
Hate to: exercise